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Association of blood group with COVID-19 disease susceptibility and severity in Saudi Arabia
Salwa Hindawi1,2,3,4, Sundus Daghistani5, Tarek Elgemmezi2,3
1Hematology Department, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Insights
Individuals with blood group B may face a higher risk of COVID-19 infection, though not necessarily increased severity. Blood group O was less common in COVID-19 patients. Further research is needed to confirm these findings.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Immunology
- Hematology
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic necessitates understanding risk factors for infection and severity.
- Previous research suggests links between blood groups and viral infection susceptibility.
- Investigating the association between ABO/RhD blood groups and COVID-19 is crucial for understanding disease pathogenesis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the association between ABO/RhD blood groups and COVID-19 susceptibility.
- To evaluate the correlation between blood groups and COVID-19 severity.
- To compare findings with similar studies conducted in Saudi Arabia.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study involving 600 COVID-19 positive patients.
- A control group of 8423 healthy blood donors representing the general population.
- Analysis of blood group distribution (ABO/RhD) in COVID-19 patients versus controls.
Main Results:
- Blood group B was more prevalent in COVID-19 patients (24.2%) compared to controls (18%).
- Blood group O was less prevalent in COVID-19 patients (39.5%) than in controls (47.3%).
- Blood group B was associated with a higher risk of mortality, but ABO/RhD were not significantly linked to COVID-19 severity.
Conclusions:
- The B blood group may be linked to an increased risk of COVID-19 infection.
- No significant association was found between ABO/RhD blood groups and COVID-19 disease severity.
- Larger-scale studies are required to validate the correlation between blood group B and COVID-19 susceptibility.
Background:
Novel SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus has rapidly spread worldwide and was declared a pandemic, making identifying and prioritizing individuals most at risk a critical challenge. The literature describes an association between blood groups and the susceptibility to various viral infections and their severity. Knowing if a specific blood group has more susceptibility to COVID-19 may help improve understanding the pathogenesis and severity of the disease. We aimed to assess the association between ABO/RhD and COVID-19 susceptibility and severity, and to compare results with similar studies in Saudi Arabia.
Study Design And Methods:
This study was conducted between March and October 2021 on 600 patients confirmed positive for COVID-19 infection. Patients' data were collected and analyzed. As a control, 8423 healthy blood donors were enrolled as a sample representative of the population for blood group distribution.
Results:
More individuals had blood group B in the COVID-19 group in comparison with the control group (24.2% vs. 18%), The opposite was observed among individuals of group O (39.5% vs. 47.3%). The B blood group was predictive of higher risk of mortality. No significant difference in the distribution of RhD was observed between the COVID-19 and the control groups. Neither ABO nor RhD was significantly associated with the severity of COVID-19.
Discussion:
Although there was no significant association with the disease severity, the B blood group may be associated with a higher risk for COVID-19 infection. Further studies with a larger sample size are necessary to evaluate this correlation.
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